Components of Eurycoma longifolia, also known in Malaysia as Tongkat Ali, have been used in traditional and folk medicine. Extracts of the plant are generally believed to be useful in the treatment of multiple disorders and syndromes such as: malaria, cancer, anxiety, ulcers, and male infertility and sexual dysfunction. In the past, much of the information on the medicinal value of the plant has been anecdotal. Well-controlled, repeatable extractions and bioactivity assays may clarify the function of components. For example, studies are underway to examine extracts of Eurycoma longifolia that have been shown to have cytotoxic effects. These extracts, which include quassinoids, encompass compounds such as eurycomalactone, eurycomanol, and eurycomanone, which have been examined for cytotoxic properties and potential use as anti-cancer, anti-malarial, and anti-ulcer agents.
Chromatographic processes for producing quassinoid extracts from Eurycoma longifolia were disclosed in Chan, et. al. (1998). This reference reports the potential usefulness of such quassinoid extracts in the treatment of cancer, ulcers, malaria, and fever.
In contrast to quassinoids, whose effects have been examined following stringent purification strategies, components of Eurycoma longifolia with possible aphrodisiac activity and potential as treatments for male infertility and sexual dysfunction have not been isolated. Crude butanol, methanol, water, and chloroform extracted-fractions of Eurycoma longifolia have been examined for behavioral effects in mammals. Mixtures of compounds separated with these basic methods have been administered to male mice and rats to assess effects on the animals sexual behaviors and performance.
Examination of the sexual effects of Eurycoma longifolia have focussed on the influence of the crude extracts on orientation activities of sexually experienced and naive male rats toward receptive females. Activities monitored in the treated rats include mounting, licking, and anogenital sniffing; and behaviors of the treated rats in relation to their environment were also assessed including analysis of activities such as movement, exploration, rearing, and climbing. In addition, rats were assessed for levels of genital and non-genital grooming. Analysis of these types of behavioral elements has served as the assay for investigating the anecdotal aphrodisiac properties of Eurycoma longifolia and administration of the crude extracts has been correlated with increased sexual performance of treated animals. Although use of behavioral assays indicate an effect on sexual physiology from crude Eurycoma longifolia extracts, the research has not utilized purification strategies yielding isolated components; therefore, the art has not identified the physical properties of the Eurycoma longifolia candidate aphrodisiac compounds or been able to assess the effects of compounds isolated from Eurycoma longifolia on infertility or sexual dysfunction at the cellular level.